The Orphan Girl
by Meg Rider
Summary: Meg and Eugene grew up together in the orphanage. After they turn seventeen foster homes are found for both of them and they have to say goodbye to each other. Meg is afraid she'll never see her best friend again. As she attends public school for the first time, she finds herself wishing Eugene was with her. Then, to her surprise, she finds out Eugene is attending the same school.
1. Chapter 1

"Children waiting for the day they feel good. Happy birthday, happy birthday..."

-Adam Lambert, _Mad World_

* * *

**PROLOGUE...**

Seven-year-old Megara sat in the corner and watched the other kids play. She arrived in the Corona Orphanage the night before. The head of the orphanage, Leah Queen, told her her mother died of breast cancer and her father had a heart attack shortly after. Meg was sure that couldn't be right. She just saw her father last night. He tucked her into bed and read her a story. She woke up in the middle of the night and there were lights flashing. Men came into the house, took her dad away on a rolling bed and then put her in the backseat of a car and brought her here. She didn't even know what an orphanage was. Leah told her it was where kids go when they no longer have their moms and dads until a new mom and dad come take them to their home. Meg tried to tell her that her dad was sleeping on the rolling bed. Leah just gave her a sad smile and showed her to her room, which she shared with an eight-year-old red-head named Anya.

Now Meg sat alone wondering when her dad was going to show up with her birthday cake. It was her seventh birthday and her dad had promised to get her a big chocolate cake. But he still hadn't come. The other kids ignored her and she wondered why they weren't celebrating her birthday. Part of her didn't care, though. She was more worried about where her dad was.

"Eugene! Tell us a story!"

Meg's thoughts were interrupted by a younger boy's voice. A group of really young kids had gathered around a boy about her age. The boy sat down on one the chairs and the kids sat on the floor in front of him. He started telling them a story about a man named Flynnigan Rider. Meg lost interest and tuned him out.

"Meggie?"

Meg looked up to see Leah standing over her. "Yes, Miss Queen?"

Leah smiled at her. "Will you come with me?" She held out her hand and Meg took it.

Leah led her to the dining area where they had breakfast. A couple of kids were sitting at one of the tables. On one end there was a cake with candles stuck in it.

"Happy birthday, Meggie," Lead said as she helped Meg sit down on the chair in front of the cake. The other kids echoed her birthday wish. "Make a wish."

Meg stared at the cake. "Is this the chocolate cake my dad brought?"

"No, sweetie. Your dad didn't-"

Meg jumped down from the chair. "I want my dad and the cake he promised me!"

She ran out of the room. As she ran to her bedroom, she ran into the boy who had been telling the story earlier.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

It was then that Meg realized she was crying. "I want to go home."

"What's your name?"

"Meg."

"My name's Eugene Fitzherbert," he told her. "Listen, Meg; you can't go home until a new mom and dad take you to their home."

"But, I want to go back to my house with my dad."

"Your dad is gone, Meg. That's why you're here."

Meg was quiet for a minute. "So, your mom and dad died, too?"

Eugene nodded. "I've been here my whole life."

Meg wiped her eyes. "How old are you?"

"Seven."

"Me too. Today's my birthday. Leah made me a cake, but I want the chocolate one my dad promised me."

Eugene thought for a moment. "Come with me."

Meg followed Eugene to his room. He reached under his bed and pulled out something wrapped in a napkin. He carefully opened the napkin to reveal a cupcake with blue frosting.

He held it out to Meg. "It's chocolate."

Meg took the cupcake from him. "Thank you, Eugene."

"What's the matter?" Eugene asked when he saw Meg eye the cupcake.

"There's no candle; I can't make a wish."

Eugene leaned in and lowered his voice. "This is magic frosting."

Meg raised an eyebrow at him. "It is?"

Eugene nodded. "After you make your wish, lick the frosting. If it turns your tongue blue, your wish will come true."

Meg was skeptical, but Eugene gave her a reassuring smile. Meg closed her eyes.

_I wish a mom and dad will take me home..._

Meg licked the frosting off the cupcake and then opened her eyes. Eugene was still smiling at her.

"Is my tongue blue?" Meg stuck out her tongue.

"Yes."

_OOOOO_

Meg blew out the candles, then opened her eyes. Leah and the other kids were smiling at her. Leah was holding a box wrapped in light pink paper with a white bow.

Meg was seventeen now. Ten years had gone by and still no one had come for her. A foster mom and dad came for Eugene, though; just a couple weeks earlier. Meg only had a year left until she would be released from the orphanage and out on her own. Every year Meg had wished for a new home, but this year Meg wished to see Eugene again instead. She missed him already and was afraid she would never see him again. In the last ten years, all of the other kids had gotten adopted, found foster homes or turned eighteen and left (like her roommate, Anya). Eugene was the only constant in her life. But, now he was gone, too.

One of the kids, maybe about twelve-years-old, handed Meg a piece of folded white paper. Meg took it from her. On the front someone had written _Happy Birthday_ neatly in purple marker. Meg assumed Leah had written it. On the inside all of the kids had signed their names in marker and crayons. She was surprised to see Eugene's name scrawled out in blue crayon. She smiled and ran her fingers over his name.

"I have a present for you," Leah said, setting the box down on the table in front of her.

Meg ripped open the paper and took the lid of the box. Inside was a tan filing folder with her name written on it. She opened it to see a small stack of papers.

"What is this?" Meg asked.

Leah smiled at her. "We found a foster home for you."


	2. Chapter 2

"Is this home? Is this what I must learn to believe in?"

-Beauty and the Beast, _Home_

* * *

**3 MONTHS LATER...**

Being put in a foster home was a surprisingly long process. Meg didn't know exactly what was involved, all she knew was it took three months for her foster parents to take her to their home.

Her foster parents were George and Mary Darling. They had adopted three kids (Wendy, John and Michael) and were now trying things out as foster parents. Mary couldn't get pregnant, but wanted a house full of kids. And there house was big enough. It was a two story white house in a neighborhood where all the houses look the same. They had just pulled into the driveway and Meg was looking up at it through her window. It looked like an ordinary suburban house, but slightly bigger.

George was the first one out of the car. Mary gave Meg a smile through the rear view mirror before getting out as well. Meg opened her door and stepped out. George and Mary were now standing on the front porch, waiting for her. They almost looked like a photograph.

Meg gripped her suitcase handle and made her way towards them. Mary took her hand and led her inside. The inside of the house matched the outside; clean, neat and beautiful. The walls were decorated with framed photographs and drawings that were obviously done by a kid. Meg got a quick tour of the house, before they took her upstairs to her room.

The room was simple; white walls, beige carpet, wooden desk, full-length mirror, wooded nightstand and a queen-sized bed with white bedding. Across the room was a window; there was a tree just outside it, but she could still see the house next door.

"We weren't sure what you liked, so we kept it plain," Mary explained. "But, feel free to decorate it anyway you want."

"Thank you," Meg said. "It's nice."

Mary nodded. "There's a basket in the closet for your dirty laundry. We have a schedule for the washing machine, but we left it open for you for today."

Meg glanced over at her. _A schedule for the washing machine? _"Thank you."

"We should go over the ground rules," George said. "No boys in your room at any time. Curfew is nine o'clock on school nights and midnight on the weekends. If you're going to be late, you must call to let us know. We have a car available for you on the weekends, but if you use more than a half a tank, you must put fuel in it. No smoking, drinking or drugs ever. We have no tolerance for any of those and if you're caught even once we will send you back to the orphanage. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"There's also a dress code, Megara," Mary added. "No cleavage, no midriff baring tops and no short skirts or shorts."

"Got it."

George nodded in approval. "Very well." He turned to Mary. "I'm going to back to work."

Mary kissed him. "Have a good day, dear."

Shortly after George left the doorbell rang. While Mary went to answer it, Meg dumped her laundry into the basket. When she went downstairs she saw Mary talking to a girl with blonde hair. She looked about the same age as Meg. When the girl saw Meg, her face lit up.

"Is that Meg?" she asked Mary.

Mary nodded and stepped away from the door so the girl could come inside. The girl immediately hugged Meg, causing her to stumble a bit and almost drop the basket.

"It's so great to finally meet you!" the girl gushed. "I'm Charlotte La Bouff. I live next door." She pointed in the direction of her house and Meg realized it was her house that she could see from her room.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Meg said.

"Mrs. Darling, can I take her to get new clothes for school?" Charlotte asked. "Or did you want to do that?"

Meg glanced down at her clothes in the basket. She didn't see anything wrong with what she had.

Mary checked the time on her watch. "No, go ahead, Charlotte. Wendy and the boys will be home soon anyway. Just have her home in time for dinner."

Charlotte let out a squeal of excitement and before Meg could protest, she was dragging her outside. Mary took her basket and Meg followed Charlotte next door to a pink convertible. Before Meg knew it, they were on their way to the mall.

_OOOOO_

A couple hours later the girls were making their way to the food court for smoothies with bags full of clothes. Meg learned that Charlotte's father was very wealthy and spoiled Charlotte. Charlotte paid for all of Meg's new clothes and told her she didn't have to pay her back; she would just owe her a favor later. Charlotte seemed like a sweet girl, so Meg wasn't too worried about the favor she would have to perform.

"Hey, girl!" Charlotte greeted the girl behind the smoothie counter.

The girl looked up and smiled at Charlotte. She had big blue eyes and bright red hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Hi, Lottie. What brings you here?"

Charlotte smiled and rolled her eyes. "Like I need an excuse to go to the mall. Although, I'm actually taking my new friend, here, shopping for school clothes. She's the Darling's new foster kid."

The redhead stuck out her hand to Meg. "Hello! I'm Ariel."

Meg shook her hand, which was slightly sticky from making smoothies. "Meg."

"Are you going to be attending Corona High?" Ariel asked.

"Yeah. I'm gonna be a senior."

Ariel smiled again. "We're seniors, too."

Charlotte linked her arm through Meg's. "Look at that, Meg; school hasn't even started yet and you already made new friends."

Meg was grateful that she wouldn't be starting a new school not knowing anyone, but she still couldn't help missing Eugene and wishing he was there, too.


	3. Chapter 3

"You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors; it's the morning of your very first day."

-Taylor Swift, _Fifteen_

* * *

Corona High School was huge. Charlotte insisted on driving Meg to school. Meg stood beside Charlotte's car as Charlotte checked her reflection in her visor mirror one last time. CHS was at least four stories and completely made of brick. There were students everywhere and the parking lot was full of cars. Meg was sure they wouldn't find a spot to park when they first arrived, but a nerdy boy was standing in one of the front spots holding a sign that said _Reserved for Charlotte La Bouff. _When Charlotte pulled into the parking spot, the boy gave her a dreamy smile, but she ignored him. After a few moments, the boy walked away, looking deflated. Charlotte explained that his name was Travis and he had been crushing on Charlotte since they were freshman; she led him on so he would do things for her. Meg couldn't help thinking that Travis would probably grow up to be the next Bill Gates and then Charlotte would be sorry she didn't give him a chance.

Charlotte slammed her car door, breaking Meg's train of thought. She turned around and watched Charlotte smooth out her clothes. She was wearing a denim skirt with a pink camisole top that had rhinestones around the top. She completed the look with white wedge sandals and a flower barrette holding up part of her hair on the side. After hanging out with Charlotte for the last week, Meg noticed Charlotte's hair length tended to change day-to-day. Naturally her hair was straight and shoulder-length, but sometimes she curled it making it look shorter and sometimes she wore hair extensions that made her hair much longer. Today she wore it naturally.

"You look great in your new clothes," Charlotte told her as they walked towards the school.

"You told me that already," Meg said, feeling a little self conscious.

Charlotte came over early that morning to help Meg get ready for the first day of school. She picked out Meg's outfit (a purple cold shoulder t-shirt, ripped jeans and black high-heeled boots) and her accessories (silver hoop earrings and silver bangle bracelets). Normally Meg preferred to wear her hair in a ponytail, but Charlotte insisted she wear it down ("It looks sexier that way," she explained).

Meg had a little trouble walking in the high-heeled boots and had to completely focus on not falling or twisting her ankle. Or both. As Meg and Charlotte walked down the halls, everyone said hi to Charlotte, but ignored Meg. Meg was okay with that; if her boots betrayed her and made her fall on her face, she'd rather no one noticed.

"Hey, Charlotte!" A rather short girl with long red hair approached Charlotte and Meg. "Are we going to see you at cheerleading try-outs after school?"

"I'm sorry, Thumbelina," Charlotte said. "I just don't have time for cheerleading this year."

Thumbelina pouted slightly. "But this is our last year."

Charlotte gave a her a disappointed look that even Meg could tell was fake. "That's right! What a shame. I'm sorry."

Thumbelina shrugged. "It's all right. We'll see you at the games. Go Cobras!" She pumped her fist in the air as she walked away. A couple of nearby guys echoed her _"Go Cobras!"_ as she walked pass them.

"Honestly, I totally pegged you as a cheerleader," Meg admitted.

Charlotte shook her head as they continued down the hallway. "I don't have _that _much school spirit. However, I'm _really _supportive of the boys' athletic teams." She winked at Meg.

Meg couldn't help but laugh. "I bet."

The five minute warning bell rang out. "This is where we part, Meg. Your first class..." she paused to look down at Meg's schedule. "...Astronomy is on the second floor. Turn down the first hallway on your right; it's the last room on the left."

"Thank you."

Charlotte nodded. "I'll see you at lunch."

Meg made her way up the stairs. All around her the other students hurried up and down the stairs. Some of them bumped into her and her fear of falling came rushing back. She gripped the railing and carefully climbed up to the second floor. As she walked down the main hallway, she couldn't help feeling lost. There were so many students, it was easy for her to blend in and become just another body in the swarm.

Meg found the hallway Charlotte had told her about and made a quick turn down it. This hallway was a lot less crowded and she relaxed a little bit. She slipped into her classroom just as the bell rang. The teacher- according to her schedule his name was Dr. Doppler- was standing in front of the dry erase board, facing the rows of tables where the students were sitting. He was tall and skinny with dark brown hair. He peered at Meg through the spectacles on the edge of his big nose.

"You must be Megara," he said.

Meg nodded. "You can call me Meg."

Dr. Doppler glanced down at the clipboard he was holding. "Take the empty seat in the back, next Mr. Hawkins."

Meg walked to the back of the classroom and sat down in the only empty seat. The boy she was seated next to had brown hair that was short in the back with a short ponytail and slightly longer in the front; it fell over his blue eyes, but revealed the small hoop earring in his left ear. He turned to face her.

"I'm Jim," he said. "Looks like we're gonna be lab partners for the semester."

"I feel bad for you," Meg whispered back to him. "I don't know anything about Astronomy. I was registered late and this was the only science class available."

"Fortunately for you, I know a thing or two about Astronomy."

"Mr. Hawkins, perhaps you should be spending more time paying attention to my lesson and less time flirting with the new girl," Dr. Doppler said.

The class chuckled. Jim blushed, but covered it up by rolling his eyes. "Sure thing, Doc."

Meg couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed as well. She lowered her eyes and concentrated on taking notes. Astronomy was surprisingly interesting and, even more surprising, Dr. Doppler was a fun teacher.

When the bell rang, everyone piled out of the classroom. As students poured out of the other classrooms, Meg was once again lost among the throng of people in the hallway.


	4. Chapter 4

Meg survived her first day of public school. She stuffed her homework into her messenger bag and slammed her locker shut. Her feet were killing her from her boots and she was about ready to collapse.

"There you are!" Charlotte hurried over to her and leaned against the locker beside Meg's.

"Was I lost?"

Charlotte shook her head. "I didn't know where your locker was. Fortunately I ran into Jack Frost who said his locker was near yours. I mean, at first I didn't know if he was telling the truth since he likes to play tricks on people, but he was the only lead I had..."

Meg raised her eyebrows at Charlotte. Sometimes she talked too fast for Meg to keep up. Something about a boy named Jack...

"Anyways, I found you," Charlotte was saying.

"Yeah."

"Are you ready?"

Meg nodded. "I can't wait to get home. I have so much homework and-"

Charlotte laughed, interrupting Meg. "We're not going home now."

"We're not?" Meg couldn't hide her disappointment.

"Of course not. We're going to watch the basketball try-outs. "

"Charlotte, I don't-"

Charlotte ignored her and started heading towards the gym. Meg groaned and went after her. There were several people sitting in the bleachers watching the boys getting ready for the try-outs. Meg saw her foster sister, Wendy, sitting towards the center with a blonde girl. Wendy was talking excitedly, motioning wildly with her hands, while the blonde was giggling.

Meg was pulled towards the bleachers, forcing her attention back to Charlotte. Charlotte's hand was wrapped tightly around Meg's wrist and Meg noticed for the first time that Charlotte was wearing pink glitter nail polish over acrylic nails. They sat down on the lowest tier of the bleachers and Charlotte let go of her. Meg sighed in relief to be off her feet.

As soon as the try-outs started, Meg pulled out her homework. Charlotte cheered loudly beside her, making it hard for her to concentrate. Eventually, though, Meg managed to finish all of it by the time the try-outs ended.

"You did great, Derek," Charlotte said to one of the boys.

Meg glanced up. Derek was thin with brown hair that came down just passed his ears. He was wearing baggy shorts and a worn out navy blue t-shirt. He didn't look particularly athletic and was covered in sweat. He winked at Charlotte, then his eyes wandered to the other end of the bleachers where a group of girls were gathered. One girl with long blonde hair and was glaring in their direction. Charlotte noticed this and stood up. She walked over to Derek and kissed his cheek. Instantly the blonde girl was storming over to them. The coach blew the whistle and Derek hurried towards the locker room with the other boys who tried out.

"Get away from my boyfriend," the blonde demanded when she reached them.

Charlotte smirked at her. "You guys broke up, Odette."

"It was just for the summer. We're getting back together."

"You sure about that?"

Now it was the Odette's turn to look smug as she ran her hands over her sundress. "No one can refuse me."

Charlotte laughed. "Is that why Derek broke up with you?"

Odette frowned. "He didn't. I broke up with him."

"And now you're gonna go crawling back to him?" Meg asked.

The girls both looked at Meg as if they had no idea she had been sitting there the whole time.

"Stay out of this, new girl," Odette said.

"It's a legit question," Meg stated. "You broke up with him- for the summer, it sounds like- and you were just expecting him to be waiting around for you to come crawling back to him... Is that right?"

Charlotte laughed, but Odette glared at Meg. "This is none of your business."

"No it's not. But-" Meg stopped short. A boy walking out of the boys' locker room caught her eye. He didn't seem to notice her, but Meg couldn't take her eyes away from him.

"Whatever," Odette said now. "You're just jealous 'cause no guy is gonna go for an orphan girl..."

Meg's attention was immediately brought back to Odette. Odette was still talking while Charlotte gaped at her. Her voice faded away and Meg suddenly felt angry.

"...you don't have a family. You're nobody."

Meg lunged at Odette. Odette let out a cry of surprise when Meg tackled her to the floor.

"Girl fight!" a boy yelled out.

Odette struggled to get out from under Meg, but Meg kept her pinned down. Odette grabbed a handful of Meg's hair and pulled it. The girls tumbled to the side but neither of them let go of the other one. Odette punched Meg in the face. Her vision went blurry and she loosened her grip on Odette. Odette rolled over and slammed Meg down, knocking the wind out of her. She went to hit Meg again, but someone grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. Meg continued to lie on the floor, trying to catch her breath. Odette spit at her before walking away. Meg frowned as she wiped the spit off her forehead.

Charlotte came to Meg's side and helped her up. A crowd had gathered and they were all staring at Meg. A couple students started whispering, but no one made eye contact with her. Except one boy, who was smiling at her. Meg felt her heart skip a beat and she walked towards him, ignoring Charlotte. He led her out into the hallway and as soon as they were alone, Meg threw her arms around him. He hugged her back, tightly.

"Eugene! I can't believe it's you!"

Eugene gently pulled away and put his hand over her mouth. "Easy on the 'Eugene' stuff," he muttered, looking around. "It's Flynn Rider here."

Meg gave him an amused look. "As in The _Tales_ of _Flynnigan_ Rider?"

He shrugged. "I only have one shot at high school; I don't want to be known as Eugene Fitzherbert."

"But, that's your name," Meg pointed out.

"Not anymore."


	5. Chapter 5

"You're starting to get a nice little shiner."

Meg reached up and gently touched her eye, where Odette had punched her. It was tender and a little sore. Right after try-outs, Eugene- er, Flynn- took Meg out to get something to eat so they could catch up. They were now sitting at a booth at some burger place called Kronk's, waiting for their food.

"Great," Meg muttered. "My foster mom is going to kill me."

"What are your foster parents like?" Flynn asked.

"Strict. They have more rules than the orphanage. What about yours?"

Flynn leaned back in the booth. "Awesome. They're so laid back and let me do whatever I want."

"Including go by a fake name at school...?"

Flynn shrugged.

"Hi, Flynn," came a giggly voice.

Meg looked up to see a girl with long red hair standing next to the table. Flynn glanced up at her and gave her a flirty smile.

"Hey, Giselle. What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you were coming to the game on Friday."

"Of course. I'm throwing a party at my house right after."

Giselle beamed. "Great! I guess I'll see you there."

Flynn leaned forward. "Actually, I was thinking we could go the game together."

Giselle smiled at him. "I'd love to."

"I'm looking forward to it." Flynn winked at her.

Meg watched Giselle practically skip back to her table. She then arched an eyebrow at Flynn. "First day of school and you've already got a date?"

"My foster parents let me throw a lot of parties over the summer so I could make friends and I became quite popular." Flynn didn't even bother trying to hide the fact that he was bragging.

"Is that supposed to impress me?"

Flynn shrugged. "Whatever."

The waitress, a gorgeous girl around their age with flawless mocha skin and friendly brown eyes, finally brought their food.

"Here you go." She had a bit of a southern accent. "Sorry it took so long."

"Don't worry about it, Tiana," Flynn said, giving her the same flirty smile he had given Giselle.

Tiana smiled back at him, then walked away. Flynn watched her walk away, checking her out as he popped a fry into his mouth. Meg snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

"What?"

"Could you please stop this whole Flynn Rider act? You don't have to pretend with me; I know who you really are."

"This is who I am now."

"No, it's not. This is who you're _pretending _to be now."

"Rider!" A couple of guys Meg recognized from the basketball try-outs walked into the restaurant and waved at Flynn. He waved back as they made their way over to the table.

"Dude, you were on fire today," the boy with tan skin and black hair said. "Coach is stupid if he doesn't put you on the team."

"You're gonna give Smith a run for his money," the boy with black hair and bright blue eyes said.

The tall boy with blonde hair leaned over and stole a handful of fries. He was just about to shove them in his mouth when he noticed Meg. "Well, hey there."

"Hi," Meg replied.

"Guys, this is my friend, Meg. Meg, this Aladdin, Eric and Phoebus," Flynn introduced.

"Sorry, man; we didn't realize you were on a date," Aladdin said.

"This isn't a date," Flynn said, coolly.

Eric laughed. "Yeah, right. Everyone knows Flynn Rider can't be 'just friends' with a girl."

"It's not like that with Meg."

"Whatever, buddy," Aladdin said. "We'll see you at the courts tonight."

Flynn nodded at them as they grabbed a table near the back of the restaurant. Meg glanced down at her untouched burger. She felt a little uncomfortable sitting there with Flynn; it felt like she was out with a complete stranger. Flynn Rider was almost nothing like the sweet Eugene she had grown up with. How could he have changed so much over the summer?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Flynn asked with a mouthful of food.

"I was just thinking that with this new persona, at least your passion for basketball hasn't changed."

Flynn smiled at her. "That will never change."

Meg nodded as she dipped a fry in ketchup. "So... who is Smith?"

"John Smith. He's a senior, like us, and he's the best on the team. His dad played basketball in high school and makes John live and breathe the game," Flynn replied.

"But, you're better than him?"

"I've never seen him play, but that's what Eric, Aladdin and Phoebus tell me."

Meg didn't say anything to that. Over Flynn's shoulder she saw the door open and Odette and her friends walked in. Meg sank lower in her seat, but Odette saw her anyway. Her friends went to get a tale as she stormed over to Meg.

"Hey, bitch," Odette snapped. "I hope you learned your lesson today, orphan. You're playing with the big girls now."

"And your boyfriend is playing with Charlotte," Meg retorted.

Odette narrowed her eyes at Meg and slapped her across the face. Meg was about to retaliate, but Flynn got to his feet and stood between her and Odette.

"You didn't tell me you and Derek got back together," Flynn said.

Odette didn't take her death glare off Meg. "We didn't... not yet."

"That's good news for me," Flynn said in a low voice. He reached out and gently touched her hair, making her look up at him. "Why don't you let me take you out tomorrow night? I bet I can make you forget all about Derek."

Meg wanted to be sick as she watched Flynn's disgusting display towards Odette. Odette must have noticed Meg was clearly unhappy with Flynn asking her out, because she gave Meg a smug smirk before accepting Flynn's offer for a date. Flynn gave her his flirty smile that Meg was becoming all too familiar with and watched her walk away before sitting back down.

"Odette can be a bitch but, man, is she a babe."

Meg rolled her eyes and stood up. She stormed out of the restaurant, no longer being able tolerate being around _Flynn Rider_. She was halfway across the parking lot when she heard Flynn come after her. She ignored him and kept walking. He grabbed her wrist and spun her around to look at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Meg stared at him in disbelief. "What's _wrong_? What the hell were you doing with Odette in there?"

"I was trying to keep her from kicking your ass again."

Meg pulled wrist out of his grip. "I can take care of myself."

Flynn raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you jealous?"

Meg groaned in frustration. "Of course not! Ya know, I was so excited to see you at school today, thinking I actually had my best friend back. But, I don't even know who you are, anymore." She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I really missed you this summer. But, it looks like the boy I was friends with is long gone."


	6. Chapter 6

"What happened to your eye?" It was the first thing Mary said when Meg walked into the house.

"She got into a fight at school," Wendy told her.

Mary and Wendy were both sitting in the living room; Wendy was doing her homework while Mary was reading some magazine about improving your home. Meg had hoped to avoid seeing them until she was able to get to her room and put some makeup on. Though, she should have known Wendy would rat her out. Meg had only been living there for a week, but she already knew Wendy was the goody two-shoes; always eager to be on the parents' good side and quick to get someone else in trouble.

Mary frowned. "Is this true, Megara?"

Meg glared at Wendy. "Yeah."

"What happened?"

"She attacked Odette," Wendy stated.

"You attacked another girl?" There was no mistaking to the horror and disappointment in Mary's voice.

Meg wanted to defend herself, but she knew it wouldn't matter. "Yeah."

Mary closed her magazine and set it on the coffee table. "One day at your new school and you're already starting fights? I'm really unhappy about this, Megara. Are you going to make me regret taking you into my home?"

"No, I-"

"You're grounded, Megara. For the next week the only place you're allowed to go to is school and absolutely no phone calls. Do you understand?"

Meg just stared at her for a moment. She had never been grounded before, but to her it didn't seem that bad. She didn't really have any friends so where would she be going and who would be calling her? She didn't want to mention this, though. "I understand."

_OOOOO_

With the exception of dinner, Meg spent the entire evening in her room. She honestly didn't mind it. Around nine o'clock Mary came to Meg's room to tell her it was time for bed. Now it was ten o'clock and the house had become dark and silent. Meg was still up. She stood in front of her full-length mirror, admiring her black eye. It wasn't like her to start a fight, but it felt kinda good; she only wished she had been able to hit Odette in her perfect little face. It would serve her right for saying what she did about Meg.

A tap on the window, made Meg jump. She looked over to see Flynn standing on the tree branch right outside of her window. She stormed over to the window and opened it.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.

"I had to talk to you, but when I called earlier Wendy told me you're grounded."

"So, you decided to go all stalker and climb the tree outside of my bedroom instead of waiting until school tomorrow?"

Flynn climbed inside the window. "Meg, look; I'm sorry about earlier."

"Apology accepted. Now get out of my room before you get me in trouble."

Flynn gave her a cocky grin. "You're already on trouble."

Meg rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Get out."

"I'm going to shoot some hoops with the guys and I want you to come with me."

"What part of 'I'm grounded' didn't you understand?"

"Sneak out."

"No. Now leave."

"Come on, it'll be fun. The other guys bring their girlfriends, we play a quick game of two-on-two while they watch and then we all just hang out."

Meg raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you invite Odette or Giselle or Tiana?"

"I canceled my date with Odette after you left."

Meg had to admit; she was surprised. "Why?"

"I only asked her out to keep you two from getting into another fight. I can't stand her."

"Well, either way I'm not sneaking out with you."

"Oh, come on, Meggie-"

"No! Only Eugene gets to call me that."

Flynn looked slightly hurt for a moment, but quickly laughed it off. "Just come to the courts with me tonight. If you absolutely hate it, I won't make you go again."

Meg glanced back at her closed door, then looked at Flynn. "Fine. Just let me get dressed." She went over to her closet and grabbed a pair of ripped jeans and a white tank top. She turned around to get dressed and was startled to see Flynn sitting her bed, watching her. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Turn around."

"Nah. I'm all right."

Meg picked up one of the decorative throw pillows Mary insisted she use when making her bed and threw it at Flynn. It hit him square in the face. He lied down, keeping the pillow over his eyes. Meg quickly got dressed, then slipped on her black Chuck Taylors.

"Let's go," Flynn said.

Meg grabbed her black leather crop jacket before following Flynn out the window. It was surprisingly easy to climb down the tree and within seconds they were on the ground. Flynn's black pick-up truck was parked a little ways up the street. Meg climbed into the passenger seat and Flynn pulled away.

"Why me?" Meg asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, obviously you don't have any trouble getting a date, so why did you invite me tonight instead of some other girl?"

"This isn't a date. When I go to the courts it's to have fun with my friends, not to entertain some girl," Flynn replied. "Honestly, you're the first girl I've invited to go to the courts with me."

"It's awfully bold of you to think we're friends; I hardly know you."

Flynn started to laugh, but saw that Meg had a blank expression on her face. "You're kidding, right? We've known each other most of our lives."

Meg shook her head. "No. I know Eugene Fitzherbert. I don't know Flynn Rider at all."

"We're the same person."

"No you're not."


	7. Chapter 7

"But you've become somebody else around everyone else."  
-Avril Lavigne, _Complicated_

* * *

Meg and Flynn didn't say anything the rest of the ride to the courts. Meg nervously picked at her nail polish, leaving small white flecks on the black leather seats of Flynn's pick-up truck. It was a strange feeling to be sitting next to someone she knew most of her life and yet still feel like they're a stranger. How could he have changed so much over one summer? It seemed high school popularity really did change people. Or maybe she never really knew Eugene Fitzherbert.

Flynn pulled into the parking lot of a playground and turned off his truck. With his head lights off, they were suddenly in complete darkness. Flynn got out of the truck and Meg hesitantly got out after him. He reached into the bed of his truck and grabbed a basketball out of it. He steadily bounced it as they walked across the parking lot. When they reached the playground they walked down a narrow sidewalk that led to the basketball courts. There were two courts next to each other, each one had a single light- similar to a streetlight- shining on it. The first court looked fairly new; the court and backboards were freshly painted and each hoop had a new, white rope basket. The second court looked a lot more used. The paint was faded and the baskets were semi-rusted chains. It was the second court that Flynn led Meg to.

The boys from the diner- Aladdin, Eric and Phoebus- were already on the court. There was a slightly run-down picnic table beside the court where three girls were sitting. Meg recognized the red-head as the girl Charlotte introduced her to at the mall last week, Ariel. The other two girls were what most people would consider perfect. They had fit bodies, above average sized breasts, flawless tanned skin and thick black hair. The one sitting next to Ariel had big brown eyes and was wearing her hair in a ponytail, while the other girl had her hair hanging loosely around her shoulders and had bright turquoise eyes.

"It's about time, Rider!" Aladdin called out when he saw them approaching. "You're a half an hour late."

Flynn smirked at him and then threw his ball at him. Aladdin caught it easily. "I had to break Meg outta jail."

Flynn jogged over to his friends, leaving Meg standing alone. She really didn't want to join the other girls, but it was soon apparent she wouldn't have a choice. Ariel sprung to her feet and hurried over to her.

"It's so good to see you again!" Ariel said. She took Meg's hand and pulled her over to the picnic table. The girl with the brown eyes moved to sit on top of the picnic table with the other girl so Meg could sit on the bench with Ariel.

"Meg, this is Phoebus' girlfriend, Esmeralda." Ariel pointed to the girl with the turquoise eyes. "And this is Aladdin's girlfriend, Jasmine. Girls, this is Meg. She's new."

"We have English together," Jasmine said. "Your first day and you've already caught the eye of Flynn Rider. Some girls have been trying to get his attention all summer."

Meg glanced over at Flynn. "We're just friends."

"Yeah, right!" Ariel exclaimed. "No girl wants to be 'just friends' with _Flynn Rider_."

Meg looked at her. "I do. I have no interest in dating him; I barely know him."

"Who cares?" Esmeralda asked. Meg was surprised to hear how low and sultry her voice was. "Flynn is hot."

Meg looked over at Flynn again. He was guarding Eric and his dark hair fell over his face as he watched the ball. There was no question that Flynn was hot.

"But, his attitude kinda sucks," Meg said out loud.

Ariel gaped at her. "Are you kidding? Flynn is one of the coolest guys at school."

Meg shook her head, but didn't say anything. Why did it seem like everyone was in the Flynn Rider Fan Club?

The girls watched the game without anymore conversation. Ariel cheered every time Eric made a basket. Jasmine trash talked Flynn and Phoebus, trying to distract them. Esmeralda spent most of the time texting. Every once in a while she would look up to cheer for Phoebus when she happened to see him score. Meg didn't participate in the cheering until halfway through the game when she started to feel bad that no one was cheering for Flynn.

In the end, Flynn and Phoebus won the game. Esmeralda stood on top of the picnic and did a small victory dance especially for her boyfriend. Though, everyone couldn't help but watch her as well. Meg thought the dance was similar to a stripper's or exotic dancer's and apparently so did Flynn. He watched Esmeralda lustfully and Meg rolled her eyes.

"Hey, guys; John just texted me," Jasmine said. "He and Sinbad are headed here and they're bringin' food."

"Sweet," Aladdin said, putting his arm around Jasmine.

Meg glanced at Flynn. If Meg remembered correctly; John was Flynn's potential rival.

"This just got interesting," Flynn muttered. "Why are John and Sinbad coming _here_?"

Jasmine shrugged. "I invited them."

"We figured it was about time the two of you play each other," Aladdin told Flynn.

Flynn gave them a cocky smile. "Bring it on."

Meg was the only one who could tell Flynn was a little nervous; his tell was him subtly nibbling on his lower lip. He rarely got nervous, except when he would get in trouble with Leah. It was the only time before now that Meg saw him get nervous. Meg knew she should get back home before Mary found out she wasn't in bed, but she also knew that Flynn was going to need someone cheering for him when he played against John for the first time. Meg may not know much about this fake Flynn Rider persona he's created, but despite it all he was still her best friend.


	8. Chapter 8

When John and Sinbad finally arrived at the courts, things were a lot less awkward than Meg had anticipated. Despite being potential rivals, Flynn and John actually got along really well. After demolishing the pizza, the guys broke off into two teams of three; Flynn, Aladdin and Eric versus John, Sinbad and Phoebus. For the girls' "enjoyment" (as Sinbad put it) they decided to play shirts versus skins. Phoebus, John and Sinbad were on the skins team.

Sinbad took off his shirt and dropped it on the ground before jogging onto the court. Phoebus slowly took off his shirt, making a show of it, then tossed it at Esmeralda. Esmeralda whistled and boosted her boyfriend's ego with catcalls. Meg, however, barely noticed any of this. She watched John take off his shirt, his muscles flexing in the process. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but stare. His body was perfectly sculpted and toned. His skin was creamy and flawless. She forced her eyes up to his face and really looked at him for the first time. He had thick blonde hair, dark blue eyes and a chiseled face.

_How can everyone be obsessed with Flynn with a man as perfect as John Smith walking through school halls?_ Meg thought. She immediately felt silly for thinking it, though. After all, Flynn was her best friend and she had liked him for so long. But, she had never seen a man like John before.

When the game began, Meg cheered for Flynn like she was supposed to. Still she found her eyes wandering towards John more often than they should have. Whenever he dribbled the ball or made a shot, the veins in his forearms would pop out, causing Meg's heart to beat just a little faster and her cheeks to grow hot.

_What the hell is wrong with you? _Meg scolded herself. _He's just a boy. Not to mention Eugene's rival._

Meg focused her attention on Flynn the rest of the game. In the end, Flynn's team lost by only two points. It was hard to tell who was the better player; John and Flynn played fairly equally. It was this reason, though, that it seemed there was suddenly a little tension between them.

After the game, Flynn walked over to Meg and put his arm around her shoulders. "What did you think?" he asked her.

"You were great," Meg replied.

"Not good enough, though," Flynn said, glancing over at John; who was now using his shirt to wipe the sweat off himself. "John's better than I expected."

"Don't worry about John," Meg told him. "You'll have a good season no matter what."

Now Flynn turned to look at her. "Always the encouraging best friend."

"I mean it, Eu-Flynn. You've got a lot skills; you'll be fine."

"It seems like he's got a lot of skills off the court as well."

Meg glanced up to see John now standing in front of them. He was still shirtless and had his shirt draped over his shoulder. Meg had to tell herself to keep her eyes on his face.

"Your reputation with the ladies precedes you, Rider. Somehow you already managed to get the new girl," John said.

"Well, who can resist _Flynn Rider_?" Meg asked, with a slight mocking tone. She gave Flynn a teasing smile.

"I don't think we've met," John said. "I'm John Smith."

"Megara. But you can all me Meg."

John smiled at her. "I like Megara. A girl with exotic beauty like you, should be called by a name equally as beautiful."

Meg did her best to conceal the fact the she was blushing like an Irish school girl. She had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily, Flynn cut in.

"You're cheesy, man."

Meg nodded. "Yeah, John. You should try Flynn's approach." She lowered her voice and imitated Flynn the best she could, "Hey, babe; I'm Flynn Rider. I'm popular. We should go out."

John laughed. "Does that actually work?"

Meg shrugged. "It must. He got two dates in less than ten minutes this afternoon."

"Is that how he got _you_?" John asked.

Meg stole a glance at Flynn. To her surprise, he looked somewhat insulted. She then realized that she must have embarrassed him by making fun of him to his rival. She looked up at John. "Actually, I only date guys who can beat me at basketball. _That's _how Flynn got me."

John raised his eyebrow at Meg. He looked at Flynn, then back at Meg. "In that case, I challenge you to a game of one-on-one."

Meg gave him a flirty smile. "All right. You're on."

Meg stood up. She slipped off her leather jacket and handed it to Flynn. She then picked up the ball off the grass and slowly dribbled it as she and John walked onto the court. They stopped at mid court. Meg checked the ball to John and he checked it back. Meg bent over a little bit and started bouncing the ball; hoping the fact that John was still shirtless wouldn't distract her too much.

"First one to ten points," John told her.

"Don't hold back."

"I won't."

John came towards her. She spun away from him and shot the ball. It _swooshed _into the basket and she had immediately scored three points. John looked shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered and ran to catch on the rebound. He did a lay-up and scored two points. The game went back and forth like that. They stayed pretty equal the whole time. Meg had to admit John was a strong player. The game was now tied at seven and Meg knew she had to step up her game. She shot the ball, but it bounced off the rim and flew backwards. John caught it and started dribbling towards the basket. Meg ran towards him and stole the ball. She brought it to the three point line and shot it. It bounced off the backboard, hit the rim and rolled right into the basket.

John grabbed the ball and turned to look at Meg. He had an impressed look on his face.

Meg gave him a triumphant smile. "Ya know, your team may have beat Flynn's in your little game, but he was still able to win against a girl and you couldn't. So, I think that makes him the better player."

Meg started walking back to the picnic table and saw that everyone was staring at her. They all looked shocked, except Flynn; he looked amused. He knew she was a good player; he was the one who had been training her for the last several years. Meg walked back over to Flynn and sat down next to him.

Flynn gripped the side of Meg's head, pulled it towards him and kissed her cheek. "You're the best friend ever!"


	9. Chapter 9

John and Sinbad left shortly after the one-on-one game. Even though everyone gave John a hard time, saying he was a sore loser, he insisted it was getting late. Meg wanted to call him out on that, but when she glanced at her cellphone she saw it was after one o'clock in the morning. So she and Flynn left right after John and Sinbad.

"That was pretty awesome," Flynn told her as he drove her home.

"It was nothing." Meg really believed that. It was just a silly game at a park.

But, evidently it meant more to Flynn. He continued, "It wasn't nothing. It's interesting, everyone wants to be friends with me, but none of them are real _friends. _What you did was really-"

"Really, it was nothing. I was just trying to make up for making fun of you," Meg interrupted. "I still haven't even decided if you and I are even still friends."

Flynn immediately pulled over and slammed on the breaks. Meg jerked forward. On instinct, Meg's hand shot out in front of her and slammed against against the dash.

"What the hell?" Meg cried out.

"I could ask you the same thing." Flynn's face was serious for the first time and his tone was harsh. This worried Meg. The only other time she'd seen him like this was when they were fifteen.

A new kid came to the orphanage; he was sixteen and mean. Leah said that everyone reacts differently to losing their parents and this kid acted out in anger and that they should try and be patient with him. And they did. Until the kid started bullying Meg. One day he told Meg that her parents probably killed themselves to get away from her. This, of course, made Meg cry and Eugene wasn't going to stand for that. He confronted the kid, using the same harsh tone. The kid said something else to Eugene and the next thing Meg knew Eugene punched him and they were fighting. It was the only time she had ever seen Eugene like that.

Until now.

"What's gotten into you?" Meg asked him.

"Meg, we've been best friends for ten years; we _grew up _together. But, now you're acting like we only just met today."

"That's what it feels like, _Flynn. _Physically you may be the same boy from the orphanage, but your personality... I don't know. You're just acting different."

Flynn looked like he was about to deny that, but then hesitated. Finally, he said, "Not towards you."

"Maybe not _towards _me, but still around me. And I don't like it."

"I'm just trying to make the most out of my first and only year of high school." Flynn ran his hand through his hair. "It's not like that at the courts, though; that's why I wanted you to come tonight."

Meg gave him a half smile. "I have to admit, it was kinda fun."

Flynn stayed serious. "I missed you, too, ya know. I can pretend it doesn't bother me when you keep saying we're not friends, but it does."

"I'm sorry, Eugene."

Flynn didn't say anything else. He slowly pulled back onto the street. They didn't talk the rest of the way back to the Darling's house. He parked half a block from the house and turned off the truck.

"I really am sorry," Meg told him. "It was just strange to see you acting like that."

Flynn nodded. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah." Meg swung open the door and jumped down. She then turned and looked back at Flynn. "You're still my best friend, Eugene."

She closed the door and began walking to the house. A few moments later she heard the truck door close and Flynn ran to catch up to her. He fell into step beside her and she smiled up at him. They didn't say anything as they walked, but it wasn't uncomfortable. They each knew the other forgave them. They stopped at the tree outside of Meg's room. Flynn hoisted her up and she quietly climbed up.

"Meg!" Flynn whispered as she started to climb through her window.

Meg stopped and looked down at him. "Yeah?"

"Let's start over tomorrow, 'kay?"

Meg nodded. "Okay."

_OOOOO_

The next day everything was exactly the same. When Meg got to school the next day she found Flynn in the hallway outside of her Astronomy class. He was making out with some girl Meg hadn't met before. Meg rolled her eyes and started walking towards her class. Flynn and the girl briefly stopped kissing and she giggled. Meg tried to suppress a snort, but evidently she didn't do a very good job because Flynn heard her and looked over at her.

"Hey, Meg," he greeted.

"Hey."

The girl turned to look at Meg. Now that Meg could actually get a good look at the girl, she could she was beautiful-movie star beautiful. She was tall, but had a petite body. Her hair was blonde- no, more like sunshine gold with curls all in the right place and her eyes were purple. Meg was slightly taken aback when she saw the girl's eyes. Meg, too, had purple eyes, but she had never met anyone else with the same color eyes.

"Aurora, this is my friend, Meg. Meg, Aurora."

"It's lovely to meet you," Aurora said, extending her hand to Meg.

Meg glanced at Flynn, ignoring Aurora's hand. "You get around."

Aurora cleared her throat and took her hand back. "I should get to class." She gave Flynn one more quick kiss and walked away.

Meg shook her head and turned to walk away.

"What's wrong?" Flynn asked.

Meg glanced back at him. "I suppose making the most of high school includes hooking up with Marilyn Monroe in the hallway."

"Aurora," Flynn corrected.

"You're kind of a man whore."

"And you're kind of frigid. It wouldn't kill you to have a little fun, Meg."


End file.
